


we check in to c.c.'s spa & resort

by r1ptides



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23208970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r1ptides/pseuds/r1ptides
Summary: au in which annabeth decides to talk to the girl brushing her hair.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano if u squint
Comments: 9
Kudos: 109





	we check in to c.c.'s spa & resort

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for so long

In retrospect, Annabeth should have known the spa was a trap.

It looked too good to be true, with it’s beautiful marble buildings, mountains and palm trees. It reminded Annabeth of the story of Calypso’s island. A paradise and a trap.

The woman who greeted them seemed nice enough. She was confident and professional, with her dark, sleek ponytail and blue business suit. The handshake she gave her and Percy didn’t radiate evil.

The weird array of boats, from Navy subs to a yacht should’ve warned them.

“Is this your first time with us?” asked clipboard woman. 

Annabeth glanced at Percy. All she managed to say was “Um…”

“First-time-at-spa,” she wrote. “Let’s see…”

She looked the two up and down, like a judge. It made Annabeth squirm, especially since she hadn’t seen a mirror in days. She felt the ratsnest forming in her hair and grime on her face.

“Mmm. An herbal wrap to start for the young lady. And of course, a complete makeover for the young gentleman,” the woman decided.

“A what?” Annabeth heard Percy question beside her. All she could think about was any kind of face wash and sitting down in an actual seat, not a boat, for a while.

“Right! Well, I’m sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come, please,” the woman instructed. Annabeth felt complied to, but not in the evil way. This woman seemed perfectly kind, just doing her job on whatever this island is.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” she whispered to Percy, beginning to follow.

Percy began to relax as they walked, which comforted her. He’d just lost Tyson, but she didn’t really know the appropriate way to comfort him about losing a cyclops brother.

The architecture was incredible, which really should have been more a warning than anything that the place was not mortal. Terraces scaled the mountain in levels, connected by slides that looked like they were from the world’s classiest water park.

Percy began to look even more weathered, now probably emotionally as well as physically. She asked if he was alright, but his response was bluntly that he was  _ fine and to keep walking. _

Resort guests lounged around. It was just looking better and better after their grimey days in a boat.

A woman sang in an ancient language as they scaled a staircase. They finally approached where the voice came from. The woman sat at a loom weaving a tapestry of a waterfall that looked realer than any photograph she’d seen.

“It’s beautiful,” Annabeth blurted out.

The woman’s speaking voice was just as angelic as her singing. “You appreciate weaving, my dear?”

“Oh yes, ma’am! My mother is-” Annabeth caught herself before she blatantly said her mom was Athena. Percy was giving her a worried look like she’d lost it, as telling random spa ladies your mom is the goddess of wisdom is generally not socially acceptable.

The woman didn’t seem to mind her oddness. “You have good taste, my dear. I’m so glad you’ve come. My name is C.C.”

“I’m Annabeth, this is Percy,” Annabeth introduced. She gave them the look over that the other woman had.

First, she addressed Percy. “Oh, dear,” she sighed. You do need my help.”

“Ma’am?” Percy asked.

The look of disapproval C.C. gave Percy struck Annabeth as odd. She would never tell him, but he was seriously attractive. Girls at camp would say it amongst themselves. Some demigods got a physical trait or two from their godly parent, like Athena’s eyes or Apollo’s blonde hair, but Percy got the whole package. He couldn’t have looked closer to Poseidon, so he literally had the looks of a god, even at thirteen. His nose was perfectly straight, like Greek sculptures. His face was angular and strongly defined. He had a Mediterranean complexion that was normally sort of washed out but was now even darker from their days in the scorching sun, which made his sea green eyes even brighter. His black hair was disheveled in the best way. 

It always surprised her to hear he wasn’t all that popular at schools. Girls should be drawn to him.

She wouldn’t be caught dead saying any of that to him, though.

C.C. ushered over the woman from before, Hylla, she called her. 

“The clothing will need to change. And the hair, my goodness. We will do a full image consultation after I’ve spoken with this young gentleman,” C.C. said, while inspecting her like she was a show dog or something.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Annabeth found herself asking. She felt hurt, somehow. Annabeth never cared about her appearance. Normally, she’d just wash her face in the morning, no makeup, finger comb her frizzy curls and put them in a ponytail, and throw a simple t-shirt and jeans on. That was just how it was. Why was this woman’s opinion weighing on her?

C.C. smiled as if she hadn’t just torn down Annabeth’s self esteem. “My dear, you are lovely. Really! But you’re not showing off yourself or your talents at all. So much wasted potential!”

She’d never heard the word  _ wasted _ used about her appearance. Annabeth’s teachers used to say  _ wasted potential _ when she’d get the best grades but have the worst behavior, because of her severe ADHD and intolerance for bullshit. Her step-mother said it too, calling her so smart, but a  _ shame _ and a  _ waste _ she wasn’t a normal human who could go to college.

“Wasted?”

“Well, surely you’re not happy the way you are! My goodness, there’s not a single person who is. But don’t worry. We can improve anyone here at the spa. Hylla will show you what I mean. You, my dear, need to unlock your true self!”

Annabeth had never felt quite at a loss for words. “What about Percy?”

“Oh, definitely. Percy requires my personal attention. He needs much more work than you.”

Annabeth frowned, giving Percy a lookover. Sure, he looked at his worst. His clothes were torn up, and his face glistened with sweat, but it wasn’t saying much. If anything, he had looked in his element lately. At sea. She pushed it to the back of her mind.

“Well…”

Hylla placed a hand on her shoulder. Hylla was beautiful, perfectly tan, clear skinned, hair silky. Her eyes were almost black, but they weren’t scary or anything. She looked strong and beautiful. 

Annabeth decided she wanted to be both.

She allowed Hylla to lead her into the waterfall laced gardens of the spa.

Vanities made of marble were scattered around. Beautiful music played on harps, it was as if it were the Muses themselves performing.

“Here,” Hylla said, sitting her down in front of one. “You’ll have a helper in just a second.”

Annabeth sat, inspecting the women around her. They were  _ all _ women, she just realized. Maybe the men’s area was elsewhere. 

A girl approached her. She looked to be a year or so younger than Annabeth herself. Her hair was black and silky, like Hylla’s. It was braided down her back. Her eyes, too, were black. She looked exactly like Hylla, just younger. She wore a simple, white blouse and jean shorts.

Wordlessly, she began to work on Annabeth’s hair. It made Annabeth uncomfortable, she’d never had someone do her hair besides Silena when she needed it cut. 

“I’m Annabeth,” she offered as the girl began to braid her hair with a gold strand.

The girl looked caught off guard, as if no spa guest had ever bothered to speak to her. “I’m Reyna,” she replied with a soft smile, finishing the braid. 

Reyna turned the chair to face Annabeth. The girl’s face was young, but pretty. She reminded Annabeth of Artemis, who she had seen on field trips to Olympus. A strong face, yet youthful. Reyna began to pull out makeup brushes and lightly dust natural looking powders on Annabeth’s face. 

“Are you a… you know…” Annabeth asked. 

Reyna raised an eyebrow as she did Annabeth’s eyeshadow.

“A demigod,” Annabeth whispered, unsure if it was safe to say.

Reyna nodded. “My mom’s Bellona.”

Annabeth pondered the name. “The Roman war goddess?”

“Yeah, how about you?” Reyna asked as she led her over to a dress rack near a changing room. Annabeth was so deep in thought, she mindlessly complied as Reyna handed her a long, silk dress. Annabeth began to change inside the marble stall, like the outside shower at a beach but tons more expensive.

“Athena,” she said at last. It was too much for her brain to think about a Roman goddess at the moment. “So, do you like it here?” she asked from inside, finally getting in the dress. She stepped out.

“Wow,” Renya smiled. “You look gorgeous. And yes, I suppose. Circe treats my sister and I well.”

Annabeth frowned. “Circe?”

Reyna paled. “I mean-”

Annabeth bolted, almost tripping over the dress.  _ Circe, _ how could she be so  _ stupid? _ Reyna hurried after her. All she could think about was what the sorceress must have done to Percy by now. Gods, she’d let herself get her  _ makeup _ done? She made her way back to where the woman and Percy had been.

“Miss C.C.?” she called sweetly, trying to pull off the dumb blonde look. Reyna stood slightly behind her, as if she expected to be beat like a disobedient dog. 

Circe approached them. “Wow, Annabeth! I see Reyna has worked her magic! How was your tour?”

“Your library was beautiful!” she said, eyes observing around the room for any pigs, as she remembered that’s what Circe turned Odysseus in to. How could she miss a pig?

“Yes,” Circe agreed, appearing flattered. “The best knowledge of the past three millennia. Anything you want to study, anything you want to be, my dear.”

“An architect?” she asked, buying time. Annabeth could feel Reyna’s presence behind her, her nervous breathing. 

“The cage,” Reyna murmured.

Circe’s head snapped to her. “What was that, my dear?”

Reyna looked like she wanted to magically disappear. “Nothing,” she said shrilly.

Circe’s smile was sickeningly sweet. “You know who I am, Annabeth. And I know you, a daughter of Athena. You are capable of such greatness, yet you are but a sidekick to a son of Poseidon. Those are the worst, you know. They always get the fame, the reward. He’ll leave you nothing, even if you’re the brains behind it all. Stay with me, become a sorceress.”

“Well…” she said, as if she was considering it.

“He’ll be a class pet. Children value the lives of those more than anything. He’s bound to die at the gods’ hands anyways.”

“Alright,” Annabeth murmured. “Just, can I say my goodbye?” she asked, making her eyes tear.

“Of course,” Circe cooed. “One minute… Oh, and so you have absolute privacy…” She waved her hand and iron bars slammed down over the windows. She swept out of the room and a door locked behind her.

Reyna was still behind her. “Thank you,” Annabeth said.

She rushed over. “Which is you?” she asked nervously.

All of the guinea pigs screeched.

Annabeth scanned the room for anything that could help. Finally, she saw Percy’s jeans.

Her hands fumbled with the Hermes multivitamins bottle. Stupid child safety cap. She poured two out, popping one in her mouth. “Take this,” she instructed Reyna. Reyna did so wordlessly. Annabeth stuffed the bottle into Reyna’s hands, which she hid behind her back.

Suddenly, Circe was back, flanked by two women, neither of which were Hylla.

“Well,” Circe sighed. “How fast a minute passes. What is your answer, my dear?”

“This,” Annabeth said, and she drew her bronze knife.

The sorceress stepped back, but her surprise quickly passed.

Reyna stepped back closer to the cage.

Circe sneered. “Really, little girl, a knife against my magic? Is that wise? The daughters of two goddesses of strategy, yet you  _ both _ prove to be so stupid.”

“What will I make Annabeth?” Circe mused. “Something small and ill-tempered. I know… a shrew! And for Reyna, perhaps a rat, since you cannot be loyal to me!”

Circe’s hands flicked at Annabeth, and blue fire erupted. But Annabeth stood unharmed.

She leaped forward and stuck a knife to Circe’s neck. “How about turning me into a panther instead? One that has it’s claws at your throat!”

“How!” Circe yelped. 

It was Reyna’s turn to be smug. She showed the vitamins.

Circe howled in frustration. “Curse Hermes and his multivitamins! Those are such a fad! They do nothing for you.”

“Turn Percy back to human or else!” Annabeth said.

“I can’t!” 

“Then you asked for it!”

Circe’s attendants stepped forward, but their mistress said, “Get back! She’s immune to magic until that cursed vitamin wears off.”

Annabeth pushed Circe over roughly and stepped on her chest. “Now, Reyna!” she yelled.

Reyna knocked open the cage and dumped the vitamins, which every guinea pig scrambled to. Annabeth prayed silently there were enough.

“No!” Circe screamed.

Several men appeared, all appearing raggedly, like pirates. Behind them all was Percy, thankfully clothed as well as disoriented. The pirates roared (or  _ arghed) _ in rage. Circe’s other attendants flooded the room, although all powerless.

Annabeth hugged Percy immediately.

“Hylla!” Reyna called out as a pirate chased her sister. While all of the other women were uselessly flicking their hands and muttering spells, Hylla had found a knife and was battling them. Despite her best efforts, they were hopelessly surrounded. 

“Go!” Hylla yelled over the commotion. “I’ll meet you, but you need to go, now!” 

“Not without you!” Reyna yelled back, tears in her eyes. Annabeth broke away from Percy and grabbed the younger girl.

“Protect my sister!” Hylla’s voice called out again, getting fainter as she was forced to retreat deeper into the spa. “Promise me, Annabeth!”

“I promise!” Annabeth yelled, taking Reyna by the arm. “Come with us,” she pleaded. The younger girl’s lip quivered. “We’ll see your sister again.”

Wordlessly, the three ran down the hillside. The pirates were ransacking the resort, and sorceresses’ yelled powerlessly.

“Which ship?” Annabeth asked, holding Reyna’s hand.

Percy’s head whipped around. “There,” he said, pointing to a huge, three mast ship.

It must’ve been the pirate’s, because although they’d saved them moments ago, it wasn’t wise to take a pirate’s ship.

Percy helped Annabeth aboard, then Reyna. “You’re safe with us,” he told her.

  
  



End file.
